


You'll Never Walk Alone

by brilliantbanshee



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Black Paladin Keith (Voltron), But he's trying, Cosmic Dust Zine, Found Family, Gen, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Red Paladin Lance (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron) is Missing, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-26 01:22:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18713629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brilliantbanshee/pseuds/brilliantbanshee
Summary: Shiro is missing and Keith is at the end of his rope. He’s barely taken time to sleep or eat; he just keeps going. The only things holding him together are desperation and anxiety – or so he thought.It turns out that he has more family than he thought up here in space, and his family will never let him fall.--Written for the "Cosmic Dust" Found Family Zine benefitting the True Colors Fund





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was written for the Cosmic Dust Found family Zine published in April. If you like this I recommend going to check it out -- so many talented people were involved!

 

 

_ Shiro ducked as he entered the doorway, a flying wad of paper hitting the spot where his head had been a moment before. He looked from the paper ball in question—now laying on the floor by his feet—to Keith, one eyebrow quirked in question. The teen had the good grace to look at least somewhat abashed but said nothing in response to the incident or Shiro’s gaze.  _

_ Shiro sighed and abandoned non-verbal attempts at communication. Clearly direct action was needed. “What did it do?” he asked, poking the apparently offensive paper ball with the toe of his boot. The only response was a grunt of frustration. After several long moments of silence, he finally spoke. His single word response was filled with enough frustration and disgust to sink the Titanic: “Math.” _

_ Ah. _

_ Shiro picked up the paper at his feet and unfurled it. It was math alright—trigonometry to be more accurate. Shiro repressed a shudder. He may have passed his Garrison mandated math courses back in the day, but he had _ never _ enjoyed them.  _

_ Judging by his reception from the kitchen, Shiro figured he could safely bet that Keith was enjoying them even less than he had, and according the crumpled paper (a quiz that had gone terribly wrong), Keith wasn’t passing either.  _

_ Shiro looked back to Keith, intending to ask why he hadn’t told Shiro that he was doing so badly in math, but the words died on his tongue. The boy looked so… overwhelmed.  _

_ Shiro sighed and crossed the room, setting the offending quiz on the counter as he walked by. As he reached the table, he pulled out the chair nearest to Keith and sat down. “Keith,” he said softly. The boy in question raised his eyes from the table he had been studying to meet Shiro’s gaze. He looked resigned; clearly waiting for the scolding he thought was coming.  _

_ Shiro sighed inwardly, shoving inside all the questions he wanted to ask. Instead, Shiro simply picked up the nearest book and skimmed through the equations there. Thankfully, he did still recognize some of it. “You know what always helped me with this stuff?” he asked, sparing a glance at Keith. He received no response beyond the boy’s gaze lifting slightly. He plunged on regardless, listing pneumonic devices that he remembered and sharing anecdotes from his own math classes. Gradually Keith’s posture relaxed and he leaned in, following along as Shiro talked him through the sea of numbers before him that suddenly seemed less likely to drown him. _

 

* * *

 

“Keith? Are you listening?”

Keith took a deep breath before replying, “listening, but not understanding much.”

He glared down at the maps spread before him. He, Allura, and Coran had spent the better part of the past three hours staring at them. They had been tasked with finding a suitable planet to relocate the latest species they had entered negotiations with. Their home planet was a ticking astronomical time bomb and they had reached out to Voltron for help. While they were apparently mechanically advanced, they were not very skilled at exploration or even general space travel; so they had been at a loss from the start. They had offered their allegiance and skills (which included formidable weaponry) in exchange for a new planet to call home and transportation there. 

In the grand scheme of things: simple. Certainly not the most difficult mission they had ever faced by a long shot.

Or so they had thought. 

Apparently these aliens had oddly specific and contradictory environmental requirements. Keith couldn’t even pretend he had understood half of the specifics Coran had rattled off. What he did know for sure is that this task was much more herculen than they had originally anticipated and if they didn’t figure out something soon they would fail. And they would lose an ally, new resources _ — _ oh, and those aliens would died. 

Keith very much did not want it to come to that. But the star charts and environmental surveys in front of him were nothing more than a mess of numbers and strange constellations he couldn’t navigate by.

He was completely out of his element here—again. It had been happening more and more often since Sh—since Keith had become the Black Paladin. He just wasn’t  _ good _ at these types of things. Fighting? Yes. Diplomacy? That was a strong no.

Coran gave him a sympathetic smile, “it does all seem a bit daunting, does it not?”

Keith snorted. “That’s putting it mildly.”

Allura hummed her agreement, “perhaps we are going about this in the wrong way.”

Keith tightened his grip on the stylus he was holding, “perhaps you’re just going about this with the wrong paladin,” he said softly, his knuckles shining white against the stylus.

Allura looked up abruptly at his words, “Keith…” she began, but he cut her off.

“Any of the others would be better at this Allura and you know it. Pidge and Hunk might actually be able to make sense of these charts, and Lance just gets people in a way I never will. Any one of them would stand a better chance of saving this planet than I do. They only thing I am good at is fighting.”

To her credit, Allura did not deny his words. He was right and they all knew it. His strengths, while not inconsiderable, lay elsewhere. But he was the Black Paladin now and he was expected to be involved in all of the chess moves he had taken for granted before.

It was Coran who broke the silence, “do you know what Voltron is not a single entity?”

Keith raised an eyebrow at him, “because a flying head would look weird?”

Allura stifled a laugh and Coran gave an exasperated sigh, “because Alfor was well aware that no individual is stronger than a team—especially a team with different strengths. You and the other paladins compliment each other.”

“I hear what you’re saying Coran, but that still doesn’t help us at this moment. The others are away on a mission and we have to figure this out within the next quintant if we want to have a plan in motion before their planet implodes.”

Coran’s expression sobered, “you make an excellent point. While we are unable to wait for the rest of the team, we still have three excellent minds right here at this table. We will figure this out _ — _ we just need to look at it from a new angle.”

Keith sighed again, but grabbed one of the charts, rotating it in order to get a better view of the far side of the galaxy. A hand reached out to stop his motion and Keith followed it to see Allura looking at him with a sympathetic gaze. At his questioning look she gave him a soft smile, “I know the burden of leadership is a heavy one, but remember that you are not alone Keith, and you never will be. We are all here, and all striving towards the same goals.”

Keith let some of the tension seep out of his shoulders and gave her a nod of thanks. He returned to the chart, still acutely aware of the gravity of their quest but able to breathe much easier.

 

* * *

 

 

 

_ The desert was silent and cool at night; all of the glaring heat and sounds of life had disappeared with the sun. This is when Keith liked it best. Coming out here, far from the constant controlled chaos of the Garrison, reminded him of the desert shack he had grown up in. Though they had been isolated and alone; it had never felt lonely. Even those long nights when his dad was working had never felt lonesome. The stars had always kept him company.  _

_ Being out here now with Shiro, looking into the same vast starry sky, Keith felt more at ease then had in a long time. He had been living with Shiro for almost four months now and while he didn’t think he would ever get over the fear the Shiro would one day abandon him just like everyone else, it was at least not a constant all-consuming thought anymore. _

_ They sat in silence, staring up into the stars for several long minutes. It was Keith that finally broke the silence. _

_ “Shiro?” _

_ Shiro hummed in acknowledgement. _

_ “Why don’t you you ever talk about your family?” _

_ “I don’t have much of a family _ — _ not any more.” _

_ “What happened to them?” Keith asked quietly. _

_ Shiro shrugged, “I never really knew my parents—they died when I was a baby. I was raised by my grandparents, but they passed several years ago. There are still a few aunt, uncles, and assorted relatives running around somewhere I suppose, but we haven’t spoken in years.” _

_ “Why not?” _

_ “Some of them didn’t approve of my choice to enroll at the Garrison, some didn’t approve of… other things.” _

_ “Oh,” Keith said softly. What was worse, he wondered, to not have a family, or to have a family that didn’t want anything to do with you? _

_ “Do you ever miss them?” _

_ “Some of them. At first, it hurt. My first few weeks at the Garrison I must have packed and unpacked my bags a hundred times. Once I actually made it all the way to the edge of base before I changed my mind again.” _

_ “Why did you decide to stay?” _

_ “Someone helped me to see that if someone truly cares about you, they’ll support you. That they would never make you choose between them and your dream.” _

_ Silence settled again as Keith mulled over Shiro’s words. _

_ “Do you miss them now?” _

_ “Sometimes,” Shiro said with a sigh, “but I also realized something else during all of this. Family is not all about genetics. Sometimes the best family you can have is the one you make for yourself.” _

_ Keith looked over a Shiro sharply. They older boy was smiling at him _ — _ a smile that spoke volumes of love and affection. _

_ A smile Keith hadn’t seen since before the fire. _

_ He swallowed; finding that his throat was suddenly thick. _

_ “Whoever helped you figure all that out must have been pretty smart,” he finally said in a desperate attempt to change the subject. _

_ Shiro chuckled, “Oh, he is. Just don’t tell him that—Adam’s head is big enough.” _

 

* * *

 

“Maybe if we change the parameters…”

“To what?”

“To limit the biometrics in the scan!”

“...how would that change anything?”

“Because the—”

Keith cleared his throat. Hunk and Pidge both jumped, spinning around to see their black paladin watching them with a dubious expression.

“I can’t pretend that I understood half of what you just said,” Keith began, “but I’m guessing it has something to do with whatever it is you wanted to show me?”

The pair blinked owlishly at him for another moment before Pidge nearly vaulted out of her seat, grabbing his hand and dragging him across the lab without so much as a word. They came to a clumsy halt in front of a table loaded with computer monitors;  all with continuously scrolling code dancing across the screens.

 

“This is what we wanted to show you,” Pidge said eagerly, gesturing to the second monitor from the right with barely contained enthusiasm. Keith followed her gesture but the data on the screen meant nothing to him. “It’s, uh…” he began as Pidge was clearly awaiting a response, “...great?”

Pidge looked at him incredulously, “it’s brilliant! It was all Hunk’s idea!”

Hunk chuckled from behind them, “maybe you should try explaining what it is first Pidge and  _ then _ ask him what he thinks of it.”

“Oh,” said Pidge with surprise, “so, this algorithm scans various sectors of space looking for data within incredibly specific parameters. In this case, a blend of human dna and the energy radiation of galra prosthetics.”

There was a pause as Hunk and Pidge watched Keith process this information. A few moments later, his eyes widened; “Shiro?” he asked.

Hunk nodded, “that’s the plan. Space is a big place so it will take a while, but eventually this search should turn up something—hopefully that something will be Shiro.”

Keith—while not one for excessive words even at the best of times—was speechless. “I can’t believe you thought of this,” he said to them eventually, “thank you.”

Pidge waved off his thanks, her expression darkening, “We’re going to find him; the galra have taken enough from us as it is. They don’t get to take Shiro too.”

As she spoke, her gaze drifted towards the monitors running searches for her dad and Matt day and night. Keith felt his heart clench. Sometimes he was so deep in his own misery that he could forget he was not the only one missing family members. 

“We’ll find them too Pidge,” he said softly, “I promise.”

Though they both knew that his words were nothing more than hopeful platitudes, she gave him a grateful smile. Hunk came up from behind and pulled them both into a hug.

“We’re going to find everyone,” he declared firmly, “because we are team Voltron and there is nothing we can’t do!”

Pidge rolled her eyes at his bravado, but Keith smiled. Maybe Hunk was on to something, maybe not—but it was a nice thought. More than that;  it was a reminder that he was not alone in this—none of them were.

 

* * *

 

_ Keith was sitting outside Iverson’s office, studying the newest abrasions on his knuckles. He knew he was in big trouble and he had tried to avoid any confrontations, but Griffin was being such a bully.  _

_ The sound of the outer office door opening interrupted Keith’s thoughts. _

_ “Shirogane, thank you for coming so quickly.” _

_ “Your call sounded pretty urgent Commander, I thought it best not to waste any time. May I ask what this is about?” _

_ “It’s about your cadet, Shirogane. Cadet Kogane has once again been involved in a disciplinary matter and I wanted to discuss his future at the Garrison with you.” _

_ The air was heavy with Shiro’s pause. Keith sank even lower into his chair as Shiro finally replied; “I see.” _

_ Iverson pushed on, not providing time for any more questions. _

_ “As you are no doubt aware, this is the third such infraction for the cadet. Garrison policy dictates that at this point we review his case and decide whether or not Cadet Kogane is truly Garrison material.” _

_ Keith put his head in his hands. So this was it. He had always known he was going to get expelled from the Garrison _ — _ no place kept him for long. _

_ He had just hoped he could stay here _ — _ with Shiro _ — _ for a little longer. It had actually started to feel like home. _

_ “Judging by your tone, I assume you have already come to a decision.” _

_ Iverson gave a weary sigh, “Shirogane, you know I respect you. You are an excellent officer and an even better pilot. Your service record has been nothing short of exemplary. So when you brought a recruit and personally vouched for him, I had high hopes. While admittedly his simulation records are extraordinary, Kogane’s behavior problems cannot be ignored. You understand of course.” _

_ “I do.” _

_ Keith’s heart sank. He had been sure _ — _ so sure _ — _ that Shiro would at least  _ try  _ to fight for him. _

_ “May I ask one question sir, before we proceed?” _

_ “Of course.” _

_ “What was the outcome of Cadet Griffin’s evaluation?” _

_ “I am not sure to what you are referring Shirogane.” _

_ “Well as you stated sir, it is Garrison protocol to evaluate a student’s suitability to remain in the program after three transgressions. Since each of Cadet Kogane’s infractions have involved Cadet Griffin, it would seem that he has also reached the three incident mark. So I was wondering what determination you had made in his case.” _

_ There was a long pause, followed by some undignified sputtering on Iverson’s end. _

_Keith raised his head out of his hands slowly, relief spreading through him. He knew that Shiro wouldn’t abandon him so easily. He let out a breath of relief, allowing some of the tension to leave his body. Shiro hadn’t abandoned him. Shiro would make sure he got a fair shot._

_ This was a battle Keith did not have to fight alone. For the first time in far too long, someone had his back. _

 

* * *

 

“Going somewhere, Mullet?” 

Keith froze, one foot in the pod he was in the process of...borrowing, and turned to see Lance; leaning in the doorway with one eyebrow raised. He was in his armor—which was notable, seeing as it was the middle of the night and Keith had counted on everyone being in bed.

Mostly to avoid a scenario exactly like this one.

“Lance. I...couldn’t sleep so I decided to go for a quick flight. You know, just to clear my mind.”

“In your armor.”

“You can never be too careful?”

Lance snorted, “lying is not one of your many talents Mullet. So why don’t we just skip all this and you tell me where you are actually going?”

Keith sighed in frustration, but obliged; “ I got intel on a nearby prison sector. It usually only runs with a skeleton crew, but in the past week or so they are tripled their manpower. I figured why would you do that unless…”

“You suddenly had a high value prisoner,” Lance finished for him. “Say you're right—and I’m not saying you aren’t,” he added as Keith opened his mouth to argue, “what is your plan then? Show up in the middle of the night and take on an entire crew by yourself with only your bayard and a shuttle pod?”

Keith resisted the urge to grind his teeth in frustration; Shiro had always been on him about that. “Do you have a better idea?” He asked tersely.

“Actually, I do.” Lance said as he stepped forward, fastening his helmet on, “I’m going with you.”

“Lance--”

“I’m not going to let you do this alone Keith. So either we both go or I just go and wake everyone else up and inform them of your terrible suicidal plan. Which will it be?”

Keith ran a weary hand over his face, but stepped aside; gesturing for Lance to get in the pod. The other paladin smirked and climbed in.

“I can’t believe you were about to enter a high stakes rescue mission without your sharpshooter. Rookie move man.”

Keith rolled his eyes as he started up the pod, but the presence of the other boy bolstered him. Maybe this wouldn’t be as much of  a fruitless endeavor as he had anticipated. They did make a pretty good team after all.

 

* * *

 

_ Keith wrenched open the second drawer of his dresser and blindly grabbed at the shirts stuffed inside. He grabbed a handful and tossed them towards his bed and the open duffel.  _

_ He didn’t even look to see where they landed before he opened the top drawer to reach for some socks. _

_ Keith had screwed up—again. But this time, it was bad. He was going to get in so much trouble. _

_ He was going to get kicked out of the Garrison. _

_ He was going to get kicked out by Shiro. _

_ He wasn’t going to wait around to be told to leave though; not this time. _

_ He tossed a couple of books onto the growing mess on the bed and did a quick spin to survey the room. He hadn’t grabbed much, but it would be enough. Now he just had to shove it all into the duffel and he would be out of here before— _

_ “Keith? Are you here?” _

_ He was too late. Shiro had come home earlier than usual—that was definitely not a good sign. _

_ “Keith?” _

_ Shiro’s voice was coming closer. Maybe if he just grabbed what he could, he could jump out the window. They were only on the second floor; it wasn’t too far of a drop. _

_ Keith lunged across the room towards the bed and was in the process of stuffing whatever he could from the pile into the duffel when the door to his room swung open.  _

_ There was a moment of tense silence as they both froze and stared at each other. Shiro took in the mess that was currently Keith’s room and Keith studied Shiro’s body language. It was Shiro who broke the silence. _

_ “Are you going on a trip you forgot to mention?” _

_ Keith didn’t respond. He instead stared at his duffel, avoiding all eye contact with Shiro. From the doorway he heard a sigh and footsteps as Shiro entered the room. He surveyed the destruction, studying it before turning back to Keith, who was still looking anywhere but Shiro. _

_ “Keith,” Shiro asked softly, “are you planning on running away?” _

_ Keith didn’t answer, but tightened his grip on his duffel. _

_ “May I was why?” _

_ Keith remained silent. Shiro settled into the chair in the corner, watching Keith and waiting patiently for an answer. _

_ It was several minutes before Keith finally spoke, “I got in trouble today.” _

_ Shiro waited for him to continue. When he did, his voice was so soft it could only be heard in the echoing silence that had shrouded the room. _

_ “I—I got into a fight. I know I’m going to get in trouble from it, and I knew you wouldn’t want me around anymore after that, so I was going to… leave.” _

_ “Keith…” Shiro breathed. _

_ “It’s okay Shiro, you don’t have to say it. I know. Thanks for everything, but I’ll get out of your hair now.” _

_ “Keith,” Shiro said again, with more force. Keith finally looked up at him and was surprised to see hurt in Shiro’s expression, “Do you really think I would give up on you so easily?” he said softly. _

_ “Why wouldn’t you? I know I cause too much trouble, and you work for the Garrison!” _

_ “Keith, I would  _ never _ kick you out. Especially not over something like this!” _

_ Keith looked back down at his duffel. Shiro crossed over to him and sat down on the bed besides him. “Keith, look at me, please.” _

_ Keith looked up to find charcoal eyes staring at him intensely, “Keith, I will never give up on you, do you understand? Whatever happens, I will always be here for you—I swear.” _

_ Keith had heard platitudes and empty promises before. But looking into Shiro’s eyes, he couldn’t help but believe him. _

 

* * *

 

Keith stared down at his hands. They were stained with blood.

So were his arms, legs, and every piece of armor between. Which would have been an average day in the life; except it was not his blood.

It was Lance’s.

Every time Keith closed his eyes he saw and heard and  _ felt  _ it all over again. Saw the flash of a blaster, heard Lance shout his name, felt both the heat of the blast and the pain as Lance shoved him to the floor. He felt the warm blood seeping from the side of Lance’s neck, bleeding far too quickly. Bhe blaster shot had hit one of the few places not covered by armor; it had inflicted maximum damage.

And there was so much blood.

Lance had tried to speak, but when the blood had run out of his mouth as it opened Keith ordered him to be quiet. It was a testament to the gravity of the situation that Lance actually obeyed.

His hands were shaking and Keith crossed his arms to hide them. The others would be here soon; they would want answers. Keith would give them _ — _ he owed them at least that. After all, he had lied to them, disappeared in the dark of the night, and had almost gotten Lance killed.

The paladin in question was now safely suspended in a pod and Coran had assured Keith that he would make a full recovery given a few quintants. While that was the best news Keith had heard in weeks, it didn’t change the fact that this was all Keith’s fault. The others would probably want him to leave, to step down as leader. He couldn’t fault them for that. He had almost gotten Lance killed after all.

With a  _ whush _ the doors to the medbay slid open, revealing the remaining three paladins _ — _ all still in their night clothes. Pidge was still rubbing sleep from her eyes and Hunk was trying to stifle a yawn as he walked, but the moment they set eyes on Keith, all of their residual exhaustion seemed to slide away.

Hunk was the first one to find words as they all rushed towards Keith, “Keith, oh, man, are you okay? What happened?”

“I’m fine,” Keith said shortly, “it’s not...I’m not hurt.”

Hunk furrowed his brow, “Then…” his voice trailed off as he surveyed the room and spotted his friend in the pod, “Lance!” He looked back at Keith with frantic eyes, “what happened?”

“Yes, I would like to know as well,” said Allura calmly, even as her expression darkened at the sight of the blood on his armor and Lance in the pod.

Keith tightened his grip on his arms. His hands were still shaking.

“I got intel about a prison sector that seemed promising and tried to sneak out to check it out. Lance found me and insisted on coming with. It turned out to be a set up _ — _ we were ambushed. During the fighting, Lance pushed me out of the way of a shot and ended up taking it himself. He... lost a lot of blood, but Coran said he should be fine after a few days in the pod.”

He looked around at the group as they all took in the information. Any moment now they would start shouting for his resignation and condemning him for nearly killing Lance.  He wanted to savor these last few moments of peace.

“You stupid self-sacrificing idiot, I thought we talked about this,” Pidge said grimly. Keith followed her gaze to the pod and felt the urge to stand up for Lance.

“It wasn’t his fault, it was mine. The whole thing was my idea, it was way too dangerous, I shouldn’t have let him come, and I should have been keeping an eye on him. This is all  _ my  _ fault, not his.”

“Keith,” Hunk started, but Keith pushed on.

“I understand if you want me to step down. The black paladin should be more responsible than this, and shouldn’t let their team members down like that.”

“Keith!” Hunk said again, this time with considerably more force. Keith stopped; further admissions of guilt freezing on his tongue. He had never heard Hunk speak like that before _ — _ it was startling.

Satisfied that Keith was listening, Hunk continued; “Keith, it’s not your fault. Should you have told the rest of us and have taken the whole team? Yes. But you did what you thought was best, and so did Lance. He made his own decisions that led to this moment. Neither of you asked for this, but it is what it is, and you’re both safe and are going to be fine. That’s all that matters right now. Everything else can be dealt with later.”

“Plus,” Pidge added, “have you met Lance? There is no way you would have been able to stop him even if you had seen it coming. The boy has some sort of spidey sense about the team being in danger. He will  _ always _ risk his own life to protect the people he cares about, no matter the risk. Idiot,” she finished with a fond shake of her head.  

She made a strong argument.

“As for the your resignation,” Allura stated regally, “on behalf of Altea, I do not accept. You are our leader Keith. The black lion chose you. You are an integral part of our team. Yes, you are still learning how to trust and how to lead, but we are all learning. This is new for all of us, but running will not solve any of our problems.”

Keith looked at them each in turn, hardly daring to believe what he was hearing. They weren’t mad at him. They didn’t want him to leave. They had  _ faith _ in him.

His gaze settled on Lance’s pod. Lance had believed in him; had trusted him. Now he was in a pod after nearly dying in Keith’s arms. But the look in his eyes in those tense moments while Keith tried to stanch the bleeding had been far from accusatory. Though he hadn’t been able to get out the words Keith had known what he had been trying to tell him _ — _ he didn’t blame him.

Keith wasn’t entirely sure he agreed, but the fact remained.

For so long, Keith had had no one. After his dad, he had been alone. He had learned to rely on himself and to not trust anyone else. Then there had been Shiro. Shiro who had opened his home and his life with so little hesitation and had gone to great lengths to make sure that Keith knew that he was loved and supported, no matter what.

Now Shiro was gone, and Keith was floundering again, so blinded by his grief and worry that he hadn’t even seen what was right in front of him. His team was not just his team _ — _ they were his family. As long as they were around they would support and forgive him.

As long as they were there, he would never be alone.

  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Bonus Content

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two vignettes I was forced to cut for space but really liked, so here they are.

_ Adam opened the door to his apartment and for the briefest moment considered walking right back out. Surely there was something left to do at the office. Anything had to be better than dealing with--  _

_ “Adam!” _

_ Too late, he’d be spotted. He sighed, accepting the inevitable, and dropped his bag by the door before warily stepping into what he could have sworn had been his kitchen this morning. Now it more closely resembled a failed fallout shelter. He slowly took in the damage before turning his attention to the two natural disasters responsible. They were standing in the eye of the storm, all destruction radiating out from their spot at the counter. Adam heaved a weary sigh. How someone as naturally gifted and talented as his boyfriend could be so inept at something as simple as cooking was absolutely beyond explanation.  But here they were. _

_ “Shiro, Keith,” Adam said by way of greeting. “What did you try to make this time?” _

_ “Pavlova.” _

_ Adam stared at them incredulously, “what--wh--why would you even think about making a pavlova?” _

_ Shiro looked sheepish, “you mentioned one time that you liked it but hadn’t had it a long time and we were bored so I looked up the recipe and realized we had all the ingredients. I figured between the two of us we’d be able to figure it out.” _

_ Adam looked from Shiro to Keith, who did not have the good grace to look even remotely ashamed by this incident. He sighed and ran a weary hand through his hair. They tried, but both of the two incredibly intelligent people in front of him were completely inept at any form of cooking. They were so similar in that fact that Adam sometimes wondered if they weren’t actually related. Yet somehow they had thought they were capable of making a meringue based dessert. _

_ Still, Shiro had remembered that Adam had mentioned it and had tried to surprise him. That was undeniably sweet. _

_ Adam crossed the room put a hand on Shiro’s shoulder, getting a closer look at the damage. There was powdered sugar  _ everywhere _ , including Shiro. Adam returned his gaze to Shiro and gave him a smile. “That was very sweet of you to try, thank you. But maybe next time, try store bought?” _

_ Shiro gave him a sheepish grin and Adam leaned forward to give him a quick kiss. He came back spluttering, wiping frantically at his mouth with the back of his hand. “Shiro, darling,” he asked tightly, “did you by chance try to make the meringue with flour?” _

_ Shito looked at him incredulously, “of course, what else would I use?” _

_ Somewhere behind them Adam heard Keith snicker. _

_ Adam loved his boyfriend, he really did. He also loved Keith. But sometimes he couldn’t help but think about how much cleaner his kitchen would be without them. _

_ “Keith, go get the vacuum, it’s going to take a while to clean this all up. And then we’re ordering take-out.” _

 

* * *

 

“Keith! Whatever you do, don’t move!”

Keith froze on the spot, all of his senses immediately going on alert. His gaze roved the kitchen, looking for whatever threat had made Hunk …

“Keith, I need to you to listen to me carefully. Can you do that?”

Keith nodded infinitesimally.

“Good. Now,  _ slowly _ , step back from the bowl and put the box down.”

Keith did as he was told, gently placing the box on the counter next to the mixing bowl he had been using before Hunk had barged in.

As soon as the box was secure on the counter Hunk rushed forward and grabbed it, flinging it across the kitchen.

When he turned to look at Keith, he had a wild look in his eyes. “That,” he gasped, gesturing wildly towards the distant box, “what a scultrite derivative called Xyom. When mixed with water,” this time he paused to gesture to the mixing bowl in question, “it causes an explosion.”

He stepped away from the counter, moving to the other side of the room to indicate a portion of scorched metal above the sink that Keith had always wondered about, “this is the result of me accidentally dropping two crystals into the sink. How much were you about to pour into that bowl?”

Keith paled, “I-I thought it was sugar,” he sputtered, “I-a lot. I was going to use a lot.”

For the next couple of moments, he and Hunk stared at each other, chests heaving as the adrenaline and the thrill of the situation settled.  

It was Hunk that broke the silence, “what were you doing anyways?”

Keith turned away, picking up the now abandoned mixing bowl and crossing towards the sink. “Honestly, I’m not even sure. I couldn’t sleep, Coran put a time lock on the training deck, and sometimes Shiro and I used to just...mess around in the kitchen. I thought it would be nice to try that again. Clearly, I was very wrong about that. Seriously, what kind of leader almost blows up the entire ship with a baking mishap?”

Though the last part was said to himself as he aggressively dumped the water in the bowl into the sink, Hunk heard and his expression softened.

“Hey, man” he said, crossing to the sink and taking the bowl out of Keith’s hands, “there is nothing wrong with that. You weren’t  _ trying _ to sabotage the castle - anyone could have done that. Heck,” he gestured towards the nearby scorch mark, “I have. That doesn’t mean you should stop if it’s something you enjoy.”

Keith didn’t budge from his spot at the sink. If anything, his posture tightened even more.  Hunk sighed, “even our fearless leader needs to relax once in a while Keith.”

Keith still made no move to respond, but Hunk noted the release of tension in his stance with pleasure. Thus encouraged, he ploughed forward; “actually, if you have some time, we have some weird new...root things that Lance brought back from the last planet he stopped at. He claims that the locals say they taste like sunlight, but I was going to try to experiment with them a little and try to see what we could do with them and I could use some help.”

Keith remained silent. 

Hunk sighed in resignation and was in the process of flipping through his mind for something encouraging to say when Keith finally spoke: “how does something taste like sunlight?”

Hunk shrugged, “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask Lance. I’ve never met this particular species or been to their planet. For all I know their sunlight tastes like our brussel sprouts.”

This drew a chuckle out of Keith, who finally turned around with a mischievous grin, “I guess we better find out then.”

Hunk was already regretting his choice, but if he got Keith to smile for just a bit longer this potential disaster could be worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> It turns out that I had too much to say in this story, so I ended up having to cut two entire vignettes to stay within the word limit. They were Hunk and Adam focused and it makes me sad to see them gone. 
> 
> BUT if anyone is interested, let me know in the comments and if there's an interest I may post them as a separate chapter


End file.
